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K.B. Dillon's: Derogatory Facebook comment was posted by former employee

By Jenny Kane jkane@daily-times.com

Updated:
01/21/2013 09:41:14 PM MST

FARMINGTON — A Facebook post from K.B. Dillon's restaurant and bar that used derogatory language to describe African Americans and gay people upset many of its followers over the weekend, though the business maintains that the post was actually a disgruntled former employee's.

In a message Sunday, black and gay people were told to "stay away" from the business, though profane terms were used.

"We do not want you here," the post read.

K.B. Dillon's removed the post by Monday morning, which was Martin Luther King, Jr., Day, though the statement had garnered three likes and 125 comments just two hours after being put up the night before.

The business did not address the post on its web page, but instead thanked followers for the unusually high number of "likes" that it had received Monday morning.

*If an employee is let go or quits, their administrative rights should be immediately revoked from all social properties, including Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Instagram, etc.

*If credentials from a single site are shared with employees and the employee leaves or gets fired, change the password(s) immediately.

*Make sure the email address you use to sign up for these social platforms is from the business owner or trusted manager. This prevents an employee who might one day leave, from being the sole owner of that particular page and owning the ability to change the email or password in perpetuity.

The response to the hacking can be as critical as the act itself, according to Pat Parkinson, Public Relations Director of PRMarketing.com, based in West Jordan, Utah.

"Anything that is in some way not fully transparent ... think twice," Parkinson said, noting that K.B. Dillon's likely would have been better off keeping its Facebook site up and responding appropriately.

If dealt with in a professional manner, a negative situation can turn positive by the character that a business shows in its response. To not respond at all, however, puts the business in a defensive position, Parkinson said.

"Social media is very new to everyone," Parkinson said. "Businesses just wading into social media are going to hesitate and not know how to react. Shutting down their social media? That's not going to quiet the critics."

A business would be better to be honest, explain the situation, apologize if necessary and rely on its supporters to come to its defense, Parkinson said.

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